cancer

For me, living a “cleansing lifestyle” is the only way to go. Its something that didn’t happen overnight but slowly evolved over years, not only does it involve putting the very best foods in my body (unprocessed, organic) but also putting the very best ON my body! I think its pretty pointless to eat organic, drink green juice, partake in a cleansing diet and juice fasts if I’m just going to assault my body on a daily basis with chemical laden skincare and cosmetics. Did you know that whatever we put on our skin ends up in our bloodstream? It has been proven that if you were to step barefooted on a garlic clove within 5 minutes you will taste it on your breath. We are assaulted by too many toxins on a daily basis – even when living what would be considered a clean life. If there are natural alternatives out there, why not use them? Our skin is our largest organ – it absorbs everything we put on it – every soap, every lotion, every deodorant, every cosmetic – all absorbed through our skin and into our bloodstream. As women we are especially susceptible for a few reasons:

A) we are consistent consumer and users of skincare, body care & hair care products – I challenge every woman to compare her amount of products to any man in her life – guaranteed, she will have 10 for each one of his!

B) We are also vulnerable as being the great possessors of one of the most powerful hormones – Estrogen (which can be a double edged sword) – estrogen allows us to hold onto fat – good for somethings, not good for others as fat is the main place where toxins are stored. The chemicals & toxins in many products will be stored in fat stores.

C) THE BIGGIE – many of these chemicals are hormone disruptors, they will mess with the endocrine system big time – even raising estrogen levels – so this is a double whammy of sorts – the chemicals will raise your estrogen levels, which will promote fat storage, which will in turn allow your body to store more toxins!!!

Beauty SHOULD not come as such a dangerously high cost.

The list below may overwhelm you, just remember there is an alternative to every favorites shampoo, hairspray, nail polishe, body lotion, etc. I’m not suggesting you throw out everything immediately, but as your current products run out, try to replace them with chemical free counterparts. A good place to start would be the ones that have been banned in other countries!!! Dirty Thirty is a list of 30 chemical ingredients that have been linked to cancer. Many have been banned by the European Union on suspicion of their toxicity. What you may not know is that many of the biggest manufacturers of these products reformulate without these chemicals for the European market, but continue to manufacture with these potentially dangerous chemicals for the US market. While the list is a bit exhaustive, read through and decide – are the risks really worth it? For me personally they’re not – Organic, chemical free skincare doesn’t have to be uber expensive, it can be as simple as swapping out using baby oil or other moisturizer in favor of coconut oil.

1. ALUMINUM ZIRCONIUM and OTHER ALUMINUM COMPOUNDS
Function: Used to control sweat and odor in the underarms by slowing down the production of sweat.
Present in: Antiperspirants. Banned by EU.
Health concerns: Linked to the development of Alzheimer’s Disease; may be linked to breast cancer; probable neurotoxin; possible nervous system, respiratory, and developmental toxin.

13. FORMALDEHYDE-RELEASING PRESERVATIVES ( QUATERNIUM-15, DMDM HYDANTOIN, DIAZOLIDINYL UREA AND IMIDAZOLIDINYL UREA, DEA, MEA, TEA)
Function: Anti-microbial preservative Examples: diazolindyl urea, imidazolindyl urea are common preservatives that release formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, that is irritating to the mucous membranes and known to cause contact dermatitis, headaches and internal bleeding.
Present in: Many cosmetics and personal care products.
Health concerns: Forms nitrosamines when in the presence of amines such as MEA, DEA and TEA; probable immune system, blood, cardiovascular and skin toxicant; KNOWN carcinogen;studies show endocrine disruption, nervous system and organ system effects; may contain harmful impurities.

14. FRAGRANCE (PARFUM)
Function: Deodorant, masking, perfuming
Present in: Many cosmetics and personal care products, read labels.
Health concerns: Immune system toxicant; possible neurotoxin; can contain between 10 and 300 different chemicals, many of which have never been tested for safety; see phthalates. Labeling can be confusing. If uncertain, check with manufacture.

18. METHYLISOTHIAZOLINONE (MI/MCI) and METHYLCHLOROISOTHAIZOLINONE
Function: Preservative.
Present in: Many cosmetics and personal care products. Restricted in Canada and Japan.
Health concerns: Immune system toxicant; animal studies show restricted growth of the axons and dendrites of immature nerves, neurotoxicity and positive mutation results; can lead to a malfunction in the way neurons communicate with each other; especially detrimental to a developing nervous system.

24. PROPYLENE GLYCOL
Function: Solvent, penetration enhancer, conditions skin, controls viscosity and keeps products from melting in high or freezing when it is cold. Made from the same chemical that is used to create anti-freeze
Present in: Many cosmetics and personal care products.
Health concerns: Alters skin structure, allowing other chemicals to penetrate deep into the skin and increasing the amounts of other chemicals that reach the bloodstream; animal studies show reproductive effects, positive mutation results, brain and nervous system effects and endocrine disruption.

25. SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE
Function: Surfactant, penetration enhancer, foaming agent
Present in: Many cosmetics and personal care products, read labels.
Health concerns: Alters skin structure, allowing other chemicals to penetrate deep into the skin, increasing the amounts of other chemicals that reach the bloodstream; Irritant; studies show sense organ effects. Known to cause skin rashes and allergic reactions. Often disguised as natural product with the term “derived from coconut”